Treatment of plastic materials



Feb. 26, 1963 l.. F. STREET TREATMENT OF' PLASTIC MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Shea?I 1 Filed March 3l, 1960 Feb. 26, 1963 L.. F. STREET 3,078,511

TREATMENT 0E PLASTIC MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 31, 1960 0 INVENTOR. f 5 c [mais ire,

Delaware Filed Mar. 31, 1960, Ser. No. 19,021 Claims. (Cl. 18-12) This invention relates to the treatment of heat-sensitive plastic materials. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved apparatus and process for the continuous treatment of thermoplastic materials requiring especial care in the mixing, compounding, reacting and plasticizing thereof, and, more especially, for the similar treatment, within the plastic range thereof, of thermosettng materials, such as phenol-formaldehyde and melamineformaldehyde, and of molding mixtures and compounds based upon such resins. This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 336,- 947, filed February 16, 1953, and now abandoned.

In the past, thermosetting resins intended for use with illers, lubricants, pigments or dyes, catalysts, and the like, and mixed together therewith to prepare a -molding powder granule have usually been treated by batch method on a device such Ias a horizontal two-roll mill. It is a typical disadvantage of this method, however, that all of the material in a batch Idoes not receive the same treatment for the reason that some of the material is necessarily removed from the mill as linished, an appreciable time before the remaining portions are removed. As a consequence, therefore, the latter portions are subjected to more heating and working than the former. A further disadvantage of the aforesaid method results from the fact that some types of mixes are not readily processed on a horizontal roll mill and consequently, the operation is frequently attended by high cost or poo-r product quality;

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a method of treating heat-sensitive plastic materials whereby improved quality in the materials pro-cessed therethrough lis achieved over the quality ordinarily obtainable by other commercial means.

It is another object of this invention to provide lan apparatus and method Ifor the continuous treatment of plastic materials to maintain uniformity of mixture throughout the processing whereby all portions of the finally extruded product are polymerized to the same extent.

It is another object of this invention to provide processing means for the treatment of plastic materials that will yield a produ-ct having a more desirable physical form than can normally be obtained by other means.

It is another object of this invention to provide a continuous method of processing thermoplastic materials, as well as thermosetting materials, within the plastic range thereof, while simultaneously pre-curing the aforesaid resins prior to the iinal curing or polymerization thereof in the molded form.

It is another object of this invention to provide means for treatment of thermosetting phenol-formaldehyde or mela-mineformaldehyde molding powders by the dry extrusion method, from a powder mix -feed into a product of pellet form ready for the inal mol-ding operation.

Further objects and attendant advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description and in the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view in plan illustrating a specific form of apparatus in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in vertical section taken as indicated by the l-ines and arrows II--II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front end view of a die of the apparatus as provided in laccordance with this invention;

FIG. 4 is a view in transverse section taken as indicated by -the lines and arrows IV-IV of FIG. l;

FIG. 5 is a view in transverse section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows V-V of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view in transverse section taken as indicated bythe lines :and arrows VI-VI of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7Y is a sectional view in plan illustrating a modification of the feed portion of the worms of the apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a view in perspective of a modication of the resistor portion of the worms of the apparatus;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a modiiication of the `die and wor-m tip of the apparatus;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view of the modified die and end of the worm ight;

FIG. l1 is a sectional view of a further modiiication of the die;

FIG. l2 is a sectional view of another modification of the die, showing a modified worm for use therewith; and

FIG. 13 is a front end view of the modified die and worm illustrated in FIG. l2.

The following description is directed to the specific i forms of the apparatus and method as shown in the drawings and is not intended to be addressed to the scope of the invention as exemplified by the drawings. It will be appreciated that the drawings represent preferred embodiments of the invention, which is capable of being practiced -in a wide variety of forms and arrangements.

Adverting herewith to the specific form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, a casing -10 is provided around a portion of the apparatus having two worms and another casing 11 around the portion having a single worm, although these casings can be made as a single unit .if desired. The casing is jacketed at 12, 13, 14 yand 15, for the purpose of temperature control by a circulating medium such as hot oil or steam, for example. Other heating means known to those skilled in the art may be substituted. The jacket zones 12, 13, 14 and 15 are Iseparated by partitions as at 16 and 17. Replaceable abrasion resistant liners 18 and 19 are fixed within casings 18 and 11 and form the hard-faced cylindrical surfaces therein. Liners 18 and 19 facilitate replacement for wear when the inner bores 20 and 21 become worn beyond the point of satisfactory operation. Corrosion-resistant materials maybe used in liners 18 and 19 when required. A hopper 24 connected to a feed opening 25 is located near and above one end of the apparatus, and a die 26 with orifices 27 is fixe-d at the discharge end. A main Worm 28 `and an auxiliary worm 30' are 4rotatably mounted within the lines 18 and 19 and cooperate in treating the plastic material. The liners 18 and 19 are side by side and have an opening between them to form a longitudinally extending slot 22 interconnecting the bores at the end of the worm 30. The worms 28 and 30 lare rotated at their respective hubs 32 and 33 yfrom a motor not illustrated, and are arranged to rotate oppositely and toward each other when viewed from above as shown in FIG. 1. The worms 28 and 30 are also arranged to it the bores 21 and 20, respectively, with a close running clearance. lt should be lappreciated that the basic advantage of this invention is still realized if the two Worms turn in the same direction using a forward feeding helix on each wor-m, although the treatment of the material is o-f a somewhat different character than when they turn in oppo-I site directions.

In accor-dance with this invention, theY main and auxili- 'ary worms 28 and 30 comprises a plurality of interconnected but different sections, each section being displaced along the longitudinal axis of the worms, and each section contributing to the overall processing of the plastic material. The section designated Iby the letter A in FIG. 1 comprises a feed Vsection of the apparatus, located generally toward the rear end thereof, adjacent the feed opening 25. Section B, located centrmly within the apparatus,

is a resistor section, the function of which Will be explained more fully hereinafter. Section C is an extrusion section, ylocated generally toward the front end of the apparatus and adjacent the die 26.

Within the feed section A, the worms 28 and 30 are comprised of the stems 34 and 36, respectively, and of helices or flights 3S and 46 formed integrally therewith. Resistor section B comprises the worm stems 42 'and 44 of worms 28 and 3-, respectively, and the integrally formed flights 46 and d. Within the extrusion section C, the worms Z3 and 36 are comprised of the stems 5f) and 52, respectively, together with the integrally `formed flights 54 and ithereof. The flights of the worm 28 are oppositely pitched to the fights of the worm 3ft and will advance material from the hopper v2.4 to the die 26 when rotated "as above described. i

As may be seen in FIG. l, a block 57 is provided at the yforward end lof the bore Ztl adjacent the terminal end 58 of the wor-m 3f) and has a conical recess 59 for reception of the tapered end 58 of the aforesaid worm. A side pass-age 62 is provided in the wall of the recess 59 to connect the recess with the bore 21.

As may -best be seen Vin FlG. 2, thermometers 60a, Gtb, 69t- .and 66d are set in the top part of theapparatus in orices 6ta, 61;b, Gle and 61d provided for that `purpose in the machine casing. The orifices 61a, 61b, 61C and 61d communicate respectively with the separate jacket zones 12, 13, 14 and 15. The temperature of the heat transfer medium circulated through 'the jackets l2, 13, 14 and 1S is 'measured in each of the aforesaid jackets or compartments `by the `thermometer individually lassociated therewith, thereby providing means for `adjusting each of the independent` zones or compartments to the desired temperature in a manner to 'be explained more fully hereinafter.

In the embodiment or" the invention illustrated -in FIGS. l and 2, the stems 34 and 36 of the -feed section of the worms Z8 and 39, respectively, areformed with flights 33 and 4f? having a constant pitch which vis approximately equal to the outside diameter thereof. The diameter of the stems 34 and e'increases gradually from the feed opening to the resistor section in the direction of the flow of material. As a consequence of the gradually increasing dia-meter of the stems 34 and 36, the free volume or space 63 between the worm stems 3ft-and 36 decreases in the direct-ion of travel of the material. As atypical example ofthe relative dimensions of the bores, worms and flights of the feed section of an apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention, a typical worm in a machine hav-ing 2 bores would have a 2 ight lead, the flights thereof being 1% deep at the rear or feed end in the vicinity of the feed opening 25 and tapering to a depth of SAG" at the downstream end prior to the'point where the material enters the intermediate resistor section. The flights 3S and 4f)` of the feed section preferably terminate Iat the downstream end of that section to leave an annular space 64 which permits the yfree passage of material into the-adjacentresistor section. It will be appreciated, however, that the flights of the feed section may be made continuous, if in practice it is found desirable to doso.

Within the intermediate resistor section of the apparatus, the ste-m portions 4Z and 44, bearing the flights 46 and 43 of the worms Z55-and 3f), respectively, are substantially larger in diameter than the stem portions'34 and 36 within the feed section. The channel clearance or Yfree volume 65 between each of the stems 42 and 44 and the liner yle is considerably restricted, and is constant for the first few turns of the flight. ln the last half turn of a complete flight, the channel clearance is further reduced tothe small clearance 66. It will be understood that the small clearance -66 is llocated adjacent both'the main worm 2d and the auxiliary worm 3f). As an example of the relative dimensions of the elements of the resistor section of an apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention `and illustrated in FIGS. l and 2, in a machine having 2 diameter bores, worms having flights wit-h a pitch of about .8 and a depth of 1A adjacent to space 65, with a final decrease in depth to about 1/15" and an `axial open length of 5/8 adjacent the space 66, are found to be satisfactory. The aforedescribed arrangement provides a minimum depth of approximately onethirtieth of the diameter of the bore.

The free flight area taken `as the distance from the surface of the stem 42, for example, to the inner-surface of the bore lining 18, multiplied by the axial length of the flight opening at the same point, can be expressed in terms of the diameter of the bore, as follows: D2/102 where .D equals the diameter of the bore. The aforesaid free flight larea can be increased or decreased in a range of -D2/ 75 to D2/1501. It will be appreciated that in larger size machines the free flight area, as defined by the foregoing formula, will be somewhat larger. A machine, yas constructed according to this invention and exemplified in FEGS. yl and 2 of the drawings, having 41/2" diameter bores can Ysuccessfully process standard general purpose woodllour filled phenolic molding powders at a throughput capacity in the order of one thousand pounds per hour. Since the size of the opening 66 lis directly related to the free flight area as defined by the foregoing formula, it will be clear that the magnitude of the clearance 66 may be conveniently expressed in terms of the free flight area. Where, in a machine of the foregoing capacity, the worms of the resistor section are provided with a flight lead of two inches with Ian axial distance of 17/16" open channel by .178 depth adjacent the restricted clearance 66, the normal size of the clearance or space 66, as indicated -by the aforementioned for-mula, is approximately D2/80.

Although the measurement of the size of the aforesaid opening or clearance .66 has been made in terms of D2, using a .sliding scale for the denominator as the most convenient means .of giving a basic quantitative determination, it will be appreciated that the measurement could be alternatively kexpressed in terms of the size of the restrictor opening.

Within the extrusion section of the apparatus, the diameter of the stem of the worm 28 is preferably decreased to slightly over one-half of the diameter of the bore and the flights 54 thereof are commonly of a constant pitch which may vary from a value equal to threequarters of the outside diameter thereof. The .flights 56 of the worm 50i can be similar in pitch to the flights 54 of the worm 28 or of some other design serving to pass the material across from flights 56 and the worm 3) into the flights 54 of the worm 28. It will be appreciated that the extrusion portion of the Worm 23 may be varied in design such as by the use of a decreasing pitch of helix or increasing stem diameter, where the nature of the processing may require such modification.

It is usually desirable to have a highly polished surface, such as chrome plating or mirror finish, on the surfaces of the worm channels.

As may best be seen in FlG. 2, a vent opening 68 is formed in the top surface of the lining fd, which communicates directly with a vent 69 extending upwardly from the top of the machine casing and formed integrally therewith. A cover 70' having a vent orifice 7i and secured by screws 72 and 73 to an outwardly flanged portion 74 of the vent Awall 69 is provided for substantial closure of the vent. The orifice 71 is provided in the central portion of the cover 7l? for connection with a vacuum pump to aid in the devolatilization of the plastic material in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter. It will be appreciated that the apparatus may be used without the vent cover 7d whenever it is desired that the vent 69 open only into the atmosphere. It will be further appreciated that the vent opening 618 and the vent 69 may be entirely eliminated and the liners and casing of the apparatus be made solid.

As may best be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flight 54 of the worm 28 terminates adjacent the die 26 with an edge 75 thereof spaced a -small distance 76 from the inner face 77 of the die. The tip end of the worm 2S approaching the die 26 is constructed to provide a maximum wedging action in order to push the plastic material through the holes 27 of the die 26 and, as a consequence, the flat edge 73 resulting from a transverse cut, as shown in FIG. 4, is reduced to the smallest practical area. Preferably the distance 76 from the tip 75 of the worm 28 to the inner face 77 of the die 26 should be very close, just suicient to give a running clearance. In some cases, it will be desirable to spacethe tip 75 as close as 0.010" from the inner face 77 of the die 26. Although the wedging action of the worm tip 75 tends to lessen as the spacing 76 is increased, the aforesaid wedging action tending to lose its effectiveness entirely as the distance 76 approaches 0.10", it will be appreciated that wider spacing can be used if additional heat and working of the plastic material are desired at this point.

FIG. 7 illustrates a modification of the Worm stems and flights within the feed section of the apparatus provided in accordance with this invention. The oppositely rotating worms 28a and 30a have flights 38a and 40a formed integrally with the worm stems 34a and 36a and are rotated by their respective hub ends 32a and 33a. The worm stems 34a and 35a are of constant diameter of each of their respective bores, 21a and 20a. For example, where the bore is approximately 2, the respective Worm stem diameter is preferably about 1%". The pitch of the flights 38a and 40a decreases in the direction of the flow of the material. Where the dimensions of the worm stems and bores are as given above, the aforesaid flights have approximately a 2 pitch in the vicinity of the feed opening 13 and decrease to a pitch of about 1% at the downstream end approaching the resistor section.

FIG. 8 illustrates a modification of the worms of the resistor section as provided in accordance with this invention. The worms 28a and 30a have stems 42a and 44a, respectively, having flights 46a and 48a, respectively, formed integrally therewith. The flights 46a and 48a preferably have a pitch of from one-quarter to one-half the' outside diameter thereof, while the stems 42a and 44a increase in diameter in the direction of the flow of the material. In a 2 diameter worm, for example, a clearance of 1A at the deep end which decreases to 1/16" at the shallow end is satis-factory.

In the modification of the apparatus, as provided in accordance with this invention and illustrated in FIG. 9, the worm stem 50a and flight 54a of a worm 28a which revolves within the bore 21a are flared outwardly at the terminal end of the worm in the extrusion section adjacent the die 26a. As may be seen in FIG. 9, the bore 21a terminates in an outwardly flared portion 19b for the accommodation of the flared flight 54a. In like manner, the die 26a is provided with an outwardly flared bore 2Gb adjacent the inner face 77a for the accommodation of the flared flight 54a and which supplements the flared portion `1.9b of the bore 21a. The die holes 27a, in this modification of the invention, comprise a short cylindrical portion 29a having a length approximately equal to the diameter and an outwardly tapering portion 2% opening at the outer face of the die 26a which is arranged to taper to a larger diameter in the direction of the flow of the plastic material. It will be appreciated that in this modification of the invention, the flared elements of bore, worm stem and worm flight may be used with a die in which the short cylindrical section of the die holes has been eliminated and in which the holes 6 taper from the inner face to the outer face ofthe die, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

As may best be seen in FIG. 10, which illustrates in greater detail the manner in which the edge 75a of the flight 54a approaches the inner face 77a of the die 26a, a clearance or distance 76a is provided between the edge 75a and the aforesaid inner face 77a of the die which is reduced to the practical minimum. The surface 79a of the worm flight 54a approaches the edge 75a and turns parallel to the die face 77a for a minimum distance to form the space 76a between the end of the worm and inner face of the die. A wedge-shaped space 80a is also formed between the moving surface 79a of the flight 54a and the inner face 77a of the die 26a. Another modification of the die, as provided in accordance with this invention, is illustrated in FIG. l1, in which the kdie 26h is provided with holes 27b having a straight cylindrical portion 29e followed by a shoulder 31b and an outwardly flared portion 29d beyond the shoulder 311:.

A further modification of the die and worm as provided in accordance with this invention, which may be used for the production of a continuous ribbon of material, is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13. The bore 21C is followed by a die 26e having an inner face formed of tapering walls 77c which form a conical space 82C within the die. A slot 83o leads from the aforesaid conical space 82C to the outer face of the die. The worm flight 54C of the worm 28C tapers gradually from its dimensions within the bore Zlc to a point 75e` adjacent the end of the slot 83e. The flight 54a is arranged to conform with the conical space SZc and to have a close clearance with the walls 77e of the die in the order of 1/32 inch to 1/16 inch.

Operation In typical operation, the mixture of the resin, filler or other material to be plasticized, is usually vsupplied to the hopper 24 in powder form. The forwarding flights 38 and 40 of the feed portions of the worms 28 and 30 receive the material to be processed and advance it through the bores 20 and 21 formed by the heated liners 18 and 19, respectively. The Working and the heating -of the material forms it into a plasticized mass of high viscosity. In the processing of the material, the heating :and working of the material must be performed to effect the particles of the material uniformly so that no portion thereof is overworked or underworked. Although the -stems 50 and 52 and the flights 46 and 48 thereof of the resistor section create a back pressure so that the mass of material is worked under pressure, the flights 3S and 40 ofthe feed section steadily force the material through Ithe reduced area channel in a continuous stream without any large scale re-circulation or stagnation of the material at the end of the flights 38 and 40. The jackets 12 and 13 are used to control the surface temperature of the liners 18 and 19, thereby iniluencing the temperature of the material being treated and the character of the mechanical working given to the material by the worms 28 and 30.

The flights 46 and 48 of the resistor section receive the viscous material and move it continuously forward, thereby forcing the material through the small space 66 through which the material must pass before escaping from the resistor portion of the worm. The small cross- -section of the channels 65 and 66 within the resistor section greatly increases the speed of the relatively large moving volume of material delivered by the flights 3-8 and 40 of the feed section and also spreads the viscous material thinly to pro-Vide a uniform mixing and heating thereto. The free volume of an axial section in the worm flight at the point of the restricted space 66 is in the order of one-twentieth as great as the corresponding volume between flights 38 or 40 in the vicinity of the hopper opening 24, and consequently there is a tendency for the worms to exert considerable compression auras-151 on the material at this point, with consequent shearing, heating and mixing thereof as pressure is generated thereon and as the material is issued through the restricted space et? into an area of reduced pressure beyond. Accordingly, the reduction of the ci'osssectional area of the passage around the stems 42 and 44 and particularly through the restricted spa-ce 66, serves to generate a back pressure on the material that is being forwarded by the flights of the feed and resistor sections, thereby affording a continuous process of the powder feeding, plasticizing and working while feeding forward and forcing the material through the restriction 66 to complete one stage of pre-plasticizing and working as a part of the entire process. Simultaneously, a controlled forwarding of the material is maintained in lthe aforementioned space 66 and, as a consequence, a condition is created that forwards 4the material Without excessive heat build-up or stagnation, which otherwise would produce decomposition or over-curing of the material, either of which would render the aforesaid material unsatisfactory. lt will ybe apparent from the foregoing description that each of the worms of the feed and resistor sections may be constructed as a continuous worm having an uninterrupted helical flight arranged to force the viscous material through a small space into an extrusion section of the apparatus, and would not, if so constructed, depart from the spirit and scope of this invention.

From the resistor section, the high viscosity fluid is continually passed under the vent opening 68 and into the Iflights Se and 56 of the extrusion section. In some cases, free volatiles are present at this point because of the curing of the material which has occurred in the preceding sections. Accordingly, the aforesaid volatiles are allowed to escape through the vent opening 68. Usu- .ally these volatiles are drawn olf through the application of a partial vacuum through the vent orifice 71 of the vent cover 70. The liner temperature of this devolatilization stage is cnntrolled by the heat transfer medium circulating in the jacket zone 14.

As the material is advanced by the flights 54 and 56 of the extrusion section, it remains at a relatively elevated temperature and curing will therefore continue. Consequently, the material is ejected from the process promptly, whether with or without devolatilization, and formed into the desired shape and the cure terminated by subsequent cooling. As the material moves through the extrustion section, the portion thereof contained in the Hight spaces of the flight 56 of the worm 30 is transferred through the slot 27. along the surface 62 into the Vspaces of the flight S4 of the worm 2.8. The material is carried rapidly to the die 26 and forced through the die holes 27. Upon passing through the die hol-es 27, the material is formed into rods which, if desired, can be cut into pellets or the like. It will be evident that in the course of moving from the restriction 66 of the resistor section to and through the die holes 27, an additional amount o-f curing of the material occurs, on the one hand, as a result of maintaining the material at approximately the same elevated temperature it had attained, by the time it issued into the extrusion section, as a res-ult of the earlier mixing and working of the material, and, on the other hand, by the brief high pressure ejection o-f the material through the die holes 27 by the tip 75 o-f the worm 23, which affords a final mixing and final heat input to the material. It will be evident that the design of the die influences the intensity of the aforesaid action and is such that the total heating and shearing that takes place on the material in the feed, resistor and extrusion sections, including the vapor extraction, gives the correct amount of heating, mixing and partial cure needed in the product. lt should be appreciated that smaller holes and a greater distance through the holes of the die make for gerater resistance and more mechanical work on the material. Frequently, the jacket l5 is kept at a low temperature of 4from about F. to about 150 F., in order to help cool the material in the extrusion section adjacent the die. it is important to note, however, that by reason of the arrangement of the tip end '75 of the worm 28 adjacent the die 26, a maximum wed'ging action is provided whereby the plastic material is forced through the holes 27 attended -by a substantially smaller temperature rise than would otherwise occur.

It has been found that die holes flaring outwardly offer considerably less resistance to the ilow of the rnaterial through the die holes than if the holes are straight cylinders. For example, a Adie plate 5/8" thick having closely spaced holes with a diameter of 0.129 at the inner face, followed by an outwardly tapering section to 0.145 at the outer face offers less heat buildup in the material than the sarne die having straight through holes of 0.145 diameter.

ln the modification of the invention illustrated in FlGS. 8 and 9, the outward flare of the worm 2da and the bore '2in behind the die 26a permits the use of a greater lnumber of holes in the die than would otherwise be pcssible, thereby facilitating the flow of material through the die and reducing the back pressures created thereby. As a consequence, it will be evident that less pressure is required forforcing the material through the die. Furthermore, the construction of the flared bore, worm, worm flight, and die, as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, afford a method of reaching a maximum mechanical strength in the worm attended with a minimum number of stagnation areas on either the front or the rear face of the worm flight. The material i-s carried through the wedge-shaped space Sila and in front of the moving surface 79a and squeezed out through the opening 27a. The aforesaid `wedging ac- -tion develops almost instantaneo-usly a very high extrusion pressure on the material (several thousand pounds per v-square inch), and concentrates a small amount of `working and heating of the material to this localized area at the die and to one or two front flights of the `Worm immediately upstream, thereby considerably reducing the wonking and heating of the material that takes place in the worm flight between the vent opening 6; and the die 26a. It will be evident that the necessary control is thereby provided for relatively quick curing of materials.

As the material issues through die openings 27a, it is preferably cut into pellets which are then air-cooled. The 4pellets are the finished product of the process ready for the final molding step according to known standard methods. The pellets can be stored for long periods between Iformat-ion by this process and final molding.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that the total temperature, working and timing must occur ywithin proper limits to produce a satisfactory product. For example, if it were attempted to separate the process into two parts, such as by cooling off the product as it issues from the restriction de of the resistor section, `and extruding it through the die orices for pellet formation at a later time, there would result a change in the total heat history of the material as a consequence of the fact that curing would continue at a decreasing rate while the intermediate material was being cooled and would again start and progress at an increasing rate when the material was again heated up for extrusion as a second operation. Accordingly, as a result of the greater heat history of the material, a change would be brought about in the nature of the product.

in the modication of the invention illustrated in FIGS. l2 and `13, the plastic material is carried through the bore 2de by the flight Side and then into the cone 82C Where stagnation of the material is prevented because of the close clearance of the flight Stic with the side wall 77x of the conical inner face of the die. Upon leaving the cone 82C, the material moves through the slot S30 and issues as a continuous ribbon. it will be appreciated that heaters may be applied to the outer surfaces of the die 26C, if desired. In many cases, the quality of the strip produced is superior to products produced by other known methods for the reason that it can be formed at low pressures and temperatures, is continuous and uniform in quality, and, in the processing of fibrous-filled materials, eliminates the formation of planes of cleavage where fibers are no-t interlaced that sometimes occurs in other processes. The apparatus and method of the modification of the invention illustrated in FIGS. l2 and 13 is especially advantageous with rag-filled materials.

Since the heat to Which the material is subjected is important, the temperature o-f the circulating medium is carefully controlled and measurement thereof is taken by the thermometers 60a, 60h, 60e and 60d. Heat is not only obtained from the circulating medium in the compartments l2, 13, 14 and 15, if required, but is also generated from the working o-f the material by the flights of the worms themselves. Accordingly, it will be clear that the circulating medium in the compartments around the bores of the apparatus may thus absorb heat from the material in order to maintain it at its proper temperature. The worms of the apparatus may also be cored for circulation of heat transfer medium by means familiar in the art.

Heating and plasticizing of the treated materials take place gradually through the flights 38 and 40 of the feed section and flights i6 and 48 of the resistor section Of the worms 23 and 36, respectively, and is ordinarily held below the point where too much cure would occur. As the treated material passes from the flights 46 and 48 of the resistor section into the flights 54 and 56 of the extrusion section, the pressure created by the restriction of the clearance 66 and the reduced pitch of the flights 46 and @i8 is reduced and as a consequence volatiles escape from the material at this point.

As previously mentioned, a vacuum may be applied to the vent 69 to aid in the removal of volatiles from the plastic material. The vent 69, however, not only aids in the removal of volatiles from the material but also sometimes otherwise affects the operation by reason of the reduced pressure effected by the application of a Vacuum thereto, which correspondingly increases the forward pressure applied by the preceding flights of the worms and thereby increases the pressure on the material itself. Hence, it will be clear that the Vacuum not only volatiles and gases from the material at the vent 69, but the effect thereof sometimes reaches back into the material being carried by lthe flights 46 and 48 of the resistor section and :also the flights 3S and 4f) of the feed section. Moreover, since the material being treated in the feed and resistor sections is sometimes only partially plas-t-icized, it is neither so homogeneous nor so dense as it will later become, and, accordingly, the porosity o f the material provides channels through which air and vapors pass. The vacuum pulls the air and other vapors through the material which is moving from the hopper and advancing toward the vent. The aforedescribed movement of the vapors in a forward direction assists in the drawing forward of the material itself and also promotes its densification, thereby creating a better extrusion condition. Moreover, the forward movement of the air provides a considerable improvemen-t over the operation of the machine which occurs when all the air, on being passed out, is forced to move backward toward the hopper 2.4 in a `direction opposite to the movement of the material for the reason that an appreciably higher throughpu-t is effected. The effect of the forward movement of the air is particularly advantageous when the material introduced into the hopper is of a fluffy character. In addition to the foregoing advantages of the evaporation of volatiles as aforedescribed, another important advantage is realized by the cooling of the material therefrom, which promotes the overall heating and curing process.

From the foregoing description of the operation of the material treating apparatus as provided in accordance with this invention, it will have become clear that in the processing of thermosetting raw materials, such as phenolformaldehyde, ureaformaldehyde, melamines, and the like, the cure of polymerization of the materials begins vto take place immediately after the temperature thereof has been raised and continues progressively to convert the resin into a hard substance that will not soften on further application of heat. A portion of the polymerization of 4the materials takes place in the finished mold or other device when the material has finally formed. However, it is important that the final polymerization should not take place before the material has reached the final stage of m-olding. The greater the advance of the cure of the resin in the preparatio-n process, the harder the flow of material iu the final molding step. Accordingly, ltoo much polymerization in the processing machines, prior to the introduction to the final molds, will result in the end product not flowing sufficiently to fill the entire mold or not having its full strength and desirable physical properties.

In preparing lthe material so that it will be suitable for processing, it is usually desinable to have a uniform and fine dispersion of the various materials that make up the mix. For instance, a high intensity centrifugal mixer does a good job of breaking up agglomerates of filler or some other materials, resulting in a uniform mix. If liquid ingredients are presen-t in sufficiently large proportion to make a wet mass, other mixing methods must be used.

This invention is successful in processing standard formulations of such molding powders as phenol-formaldehyde based pre-mixes. Existing standard commercial mixes that were formerly processed on a two roll mill are being successfully treated according to the teaching of this invention. Included is a typical formula such as 46% phenol-formaldehyde dry resin, 11/2 lubricant, 2% color, 1/2% catalyst and other additives, and 50% wood flour filler. Similar standard compositions, but using different fillers such as string, rag, cotton fibers, asbestos fibers, and other have been successfully treated. A similar range of stand-ard mixes based on melamine-formaldehyde resin have been treated successfully.

There is a wide Variety of materials currently used in industry capable of being successfully processed through this equipment. They vary ias t-o oftening point, the temperature span between softening and curing, plastic flow properties, time of curing and so forth. The jacket temperatures are adjusted to give the appropriate temperature control for the material being processed. These temperatures are generally closer to a figure predictable from the known characteristics of the material. The design of the worms detailed herein is capable of processing a wide variety of mixes. For some materials, change in worms, dies, jacket temperatures and other operating conditions may be required for the obtaining of optimum results. Such changes, when made according to the teachings of this disclosure, are understood to be within the scope of this invention.

The method of this invention achieves exactly the degree ofprelimina-ry processing and partial polymerization of thermosetting materials necessary to the successful treatment of such materials by providing means for the careful control of heating, plasticizing and polymerization thereof.

It will be apparent that another important advantage of this invention is realized in the provision of a process whereby :a product is produced which is readily adaptable to shaping into a variety of physical forms as desired.

Still another significant advantage of the invention lies in the provision of an apparatus and method of processing plastic materials whereby said materials are simultaneously pre-cured prior to the final curing or polymerization thereof in the molded form.

invention.

substituted for those specifically disclosed and certain features of the invention may be used independently of other features, all without departing from the spirit and scope of -this invention as defined in the appended claims.

having thus described my invention, l claim: l. ln apparatus for treating thermosetting plastic material which sets up to form a rigid solid mass when allowed todweil in a zone at elevated temperature, the combination comprising a casing having a pair of substantially parallel cylindrical bores arranged in side-byside relation, Aa feed opening at one end of said .casing communicating with said bores and an opening placing said bores in communication with each other, an extruding die secured to said casing vand spaced downstream of said feed opening, and oppositely rotatable feed mem- 'bers with non-intermeshing helical hights extending reing forward feeding flights extending substantially throughout its length and having a throughput capacity which is greater than that of the resistor section.

2. The apparatus defined in claim l wherein each feed member is in the form of a worm comprising a stem and material advancing flights in the feed, resistor and extru- Vsion sections of the apparatus, the poruon of said worm in the feed section of the apparatus including a stem portion increasing in diameter in a downstream direction and having iiights of substantially uniform pitch, the portion of said worm in the resistor section of the apparatus including a stem portion having a diameter greater than that of the stern portion in said feed section of the apparatus and coacting with the associated flights to form a restricted passage ladjacent said bore.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein the night pitch in the resistor section of the apparatus is less than the ilight pitch in the feed section of the apparatus.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3, wherein the stern of the worm portion in the resistor section of the appara tus increases in diameter in a downstream direction and in the last full vone-half turn of the associated fiights is of a maximum size.

5. The apparatus dened in claim l, wherein each feed member is in the form of a worm comprising a stem and material advancing flights in the feed, resistor and extrusion sections of the apparatus, the portion of said worm in the feed section of the apparatus including a stem portion which is substantially uniform in diameter and flights decreasing in pitch in a down-stream direction, the portion of said worm in the resistor section of the apparatus including a stem portion having a diameter greater than that of the stem portion in said feed section of the apparatus and `coacting with the associated ights to form a restricted passage adjacent said bore.

6. The apparatus dened in claim l wherein each feed member comprises a stern and material advancing flights in the feed, resistor and extrusion sections of the apparatus, the feed section of the apparatus including a stem portion increasing in diameter in a downstream direction and flights of substantially uniform pitch, the portion in said resistor section of the apparatus including a stem For example, equivalent elements may be portion having a diameter greater than that of the stern portronin said feed section of the apparatus and increasing in diameter in a downstream direction, and flights of substantially uniform but lesser pitch than the flights ,said feed section of the apparatus whereby to afford a restricted passage adjacent said bore, said extruding section or the appmatus having a stem portion substantially uniform in diameter and iiights substantially uniform in pitch.

7. The combination denedin claim l wherein one of the feed members extends close up to the extruding die and the other terminates upstream thereof.

8. The combination donned in claim l wherein each orifice in said die is truste-conical in shape `and the small diameter end thereof is at the upstream side of the die.

9. in a process for mixing and partially curing thermosetting plastic material having a curing rate which in- `cremes'with increased temperature, and which sets up to form a rigid solid mass when allowed to dwell at elevated temperature, the steps which comprise establishing a steady stream of the material moving in one direction successively through feed, resist-or and extrusion zones, in said feed zone applying'a predetermined forward feeding effort to advance said material constantly forwardly while mixing the same at a controlled temperature, in said resistor zone applying a predetermined substantially reduced forward feeding effort with further mechanical working .and advance of the cure at la controlled temperature, in said extrusion zone'helically forcing the material with -an extrusion worm toward an extrusion die while further mixing said material, and substantially immediately discharging said material through said die in a partially cured state, said die being spaced from the downstream end of said extrusion worm at a maximum distance of about one-eighth inch.

l0. In a process for mixing Vand partially curing a therrnosetting material having a curing rate which increases with increased temperature, and which sets up 'to form a rigid solid mass when allowed to dwell excessively at elevated temperature, the steps comprising establishing a steady dow of the'material moving in a downstream di rection successively through feed, resistor and extrusion zones, in said feed zone applying Va predetermined forward feeding effort to advance said material substantially constantly forwardly while mixing the same, in said resistor zone applying .a substantially reduced forward feeding effort to move all said material forwardly for dischmge thereof 'into said extrusion zone after further mechanical working and limited advance of the cure in said extrusion zone substantially constantly moving said material forwardly and mixing said material still further, and discharging said material from said vextrusion zone in a partially cured state without permitting any of said material to dwell for a distance exceeding about one-eighth inch n1 the area immediately upstream of said extrusion.

References @ited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 23,948 Fuller Feb. 15, 1955 1,007,016 werf ocr. 24, 1911 1,684,203 Royle Sept. 1l, 192.8 2,291,212 Clinefelter July 28, 1942 2,441,222 Fuller May 11, 194s 2,488,189 Hanson Nov. l5 1949 2,507,311 Lodge May 9l 195o 2,508,495 conservo May 23J 195o 2,543,894 Colombo Mar. 6 1951 2,595,210 Cnnerener Apr. 29 1952 2,733,051 street ran. 31 195s 2,769,201 Lareniaa Nov. 6, 1956 FoaarGN PATENTS 649,187 Germany Aug. 1s, 1937 

1. IN APPARATUS FOR TREATING THERMOSETTING PLASTIC MATERIAL WHICH SETS UP TO FORM A RIGID SOLID MASS WHEN ALLOWED TO DWELL IN A ZONE AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A CASING HAVING A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL CYLINDRICAL BORES ARRANGED IN SIDE-BYSIDE RELATION, A FEED OPENING AT ONE END OF SAID CASING COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BORES AND AN OPENING PLACING SAID BORES IN COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER, AN EXTRUDING DIE SECURED TO SAID CASING AND SPACED DOWNSTREAM OF SAID FEED OPENING, AND OPPOSITELY ROTATABLE FEED MEMBERS WITH NON-INTERMESHING HELICAL FLIGHTS EXTENDING RESPECTIVELY INTO SAID BORES AND SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH FEED, RESISTOR AND EXTRUSION SECTIONS OF SAID APPARATUS WITH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FEED MEMBERS EXTENDING TO A MAXIMUM OF ABOUT ONE-EIGHT INCH OF SAID EXTRUDING DIE, SAID HELICAL FLIGHTS OF THE FEED MEMBERS EACH EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE BORE OCCUPIED THEREBY FOR UNINTERRUPTEDLY ADVANCING SAID MATERIAL THROUGH SAID APPARATUS, SAID HELICAL FLIGHTS HAVING FORWARDLY FEEDING RESISTOR PORTIONS DISPOSED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER AND EACH FORMING A LIMITED BUT CONSTANTLY FORWARD FEEDING RESTRICTION, AND SAID EXTRUSION SECTION HAVING FORWARD FEEDING FLIGHTS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH AND HAVING A THROUGPUT CAPACITY WHICH IS GREATER THAN THAT OF THE RESISTOR SECTION. 